A Conversation with Danshan

I saw a man.

He drew the flight of the bird.
Gold, old, gold feather.
He drew and drew and drew the flight of the bird.

On my mouth, his death.
He, well, he drew me anew.
On my throat, his desire.

I saw a man – the man who did die flying, trying.

Fucking Young!: Danshan speaks – in stream of emotion, conscious emotion – the language of fluidity, humanity. What is the nature of the feelings you nurture towards your homeland?

Danshan: Hope, optimism and sympathy.



FY!: Danshan stands for – layer over layer – revealing the raw and beautiful. What is the identity of the man you design for? Any resemblance with your own father (who is the very first male reference, I assume and presume)?

D: The man of Danshan is emotional, sensitive and vulnerable. My father is very different from the man we are designing for because of the way he was brought up, that was in a Chinese, traditionally Chinese environment (a culture that has been creating a man we are trying to progress from). That said, my father is one of the biggest reasons I am able to create for this identity.

FY!: Is analphabetism, emotional analphabetism the real struggle of our generation?

D: Absolutely, yes. We can see it by looking at the obsession for the internet and social media.

FY!: Can you, please, complete the sentence: “Vulnerability is synonymous with…”?

D: Vulnerability is synonymous with the ability to love and be loved.



FY!: Is the revolution of the gentle and sensitive utopia?

D: No, I do not think so. I believe that is part of the natural selection in the human world.

FY!: Can you, please, take us through the imagery at the foundation of the statuesque figures you give birth to? Any connection with your own culture, tradition?

D: Danshan is connected, deeply connected to the upbringings of the two of us, which are similar: tiger mothers and dysfunctional father figures, who ignore their mistakes.



FY!: The word “poet” – abused, used and overused – is vain. Do you conceive of poetry as the object and subject of the brand?

D: We do want to have some poetry in the brand identity. It is not easy to find something that perfectly expresses the both of us: If it is too poetic, it can get too frivolous. We do want our work to mean something and not flit around the concept of “indulgent language”.

FY!: In the age of disguise, what is feminine and masculine?

D: Femininity is about being true to yourself, allowing women to do the very same. Masculinity is the privilege to show off the strength, but the downfall is that it diminishes the ability to be weak (which is just as important as being strong).



FY!: “For here again, we come to a dilemma. Different though the sexes are, they intermix. In every human being a vacillation from one sex to the other takes place, and often it is only the clothes that keep the male or female likeness, while underneath the sex is the very opposite of what it is above.

 For it was this mixture in her of man and woman, one being uppermost and then the other, that often gave her conduct an unexpected turn” (Virginia Woolf, Orlando, 1928). Any fragments of your true self (…hiding behind words, provocative words)?

D: Certainly, yes. I do empathise with the sentiment of the writer. Virginia Woolf is one of my favourites.

FY!: In the age of “imitosis”, what is Fucking Young!?

D: Not being afraid to take a risk.

"Designer: DANSHAN @danshanstudio
Photographer: Lusha Alic @lushaalic
Stylist: Aisha Nova
Hair/Make-up: Ziima Yosuke
Models: Seb @brothermodels; Tom Holland @amckmodels." -Fuckingyoung.es